dar mil vueltas — meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  SpainLatin Americacolloquialinformal
  • To be far superior to someone or something; to outclass or outperform decisively.

  Examples

  Beta

  • En matemáticas, Laura le da mil vueltas a sus compañeros; siempre saca las mejores notas.

    In math, Laura outclasses her classmates; she always gets the best grades.

  • Este nuevo modelo de teléfono le da mil vueltas al anterior en velocidad y diseño.

    This new phone model is far superior to the previous one in speed and design.

  • No necesito competir con ellos porque sé que les doy mil vueltas en experiencia.

    I don’t need to compete with them because I know I outperform them in experience.

• 2.

  SpainLatin Americacolloquialinformal
  • To waste time or delay by taking many detours or by beating around the bush; to take a long time to arrive at a point.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Estuvimos dando mil vueltas antes de decidir qué película ver, perdimos mucho tiempo.

    We wasted a lot of time beating around the bush before deciding which movie to watch.

  • Deja de dar mil vueltas y dime cuál es el problema real.

    Stop wasting time and tell me what the real problem is.

  • Siempre da mil vueltas para no contestar directamente a las preguntas incómodas.

    He always beats around the bush to avoid answering uncomfortable questions directly.

• 3.

  SpainLatin Americaneutral
  • To make multiple attempts, maneuvers, or rounds of effort in order to achieve or resolve something.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Tuvimos que dar mil vueltas para conseguir todos los permisos necesarios.

    We had to make multiple attempts to get all the necessary permits.

  • El detective dio mil vueltas antes de encontrar una pista importante en el caso.

    The detective made many maneuvers before finding an important clue in the case.

  • Si das mil vueltas, al final conseguirás resolver el problema, solo ten paciencia.

    If you keep trying in many ways, you will eventually solve the problem—just be patient.